Owner of former Waite Park massage business sentenced for prostitution

There are several warning signs for human trafficking, including poor physical and mental health, a lack of control over their lives and harsh working conditions. If you see any of these signs, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Stephanie Dickrell, sdickrell@stcloudtimes.com

ST. CLOUD — The owner of a now-closed Waite Park massage business was sentenced Wednesday afternoon to four years in prison for promoting prostitution, but the prison term was stayed.

Yanhang Lin, 34, of Chanhassen was the registered owner of Riverwood Massage and Body Works, 2077 Frontage Road, Waite Park, at the time of the incidents. The business is no longer a tenant of Riverwood Mall.

Yanhang Lin(Photo: Stearns County Jail)

Lin pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of promoting prostitution of an individual and was immediately sentenced, according to court records. One felony count of engaging in sex trafficking of an individual was dismissed.

Judge Andrew Pearson presided and sentenced Lin to supervised probation for 15 years. If she breaks terms of probation, she could go to prison.

Lin was charged in May 2018 following an investigation by the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force.

Investigators had received information of “an abnormal amount of traffic at the business,” according to the criminal complaint against Lin, and that employees were “having sexual contact with the patrons.”

In February 2018, a man told Waite Park Police he went to the business for a massage and toward the end of the massage, “the masseuse grabbed his penis and stated that for an extra $100 she would continue,” according to the complaint.

In March 2018, an investigator located an ad for Riverwood Massage and Body Works on backpage.com.

An investigator had also identified and contacted three men who entered the business.

All three men “ultimately admitted that they had received manual stimulation of their penis to . . . the point of orgasm at Riverwood Massage." On May 10, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the business and Lin was charged the following day.

Follow Clairissa Baker on Twitter @clairissabaker and email her at cmbaker@stcloudtimes.com.